Enjoying the mechanics so far, always felt that there's not enough low-level progression, besides buying new ships.
However, mod forces it's own "hightech-ish" playstyle, when you have to avoid getting hull hits as much as possible and use shields.
It's pairs poorly with low-tech/specialized hull tanking fleet compositions. I see my hull and armor as a resource at the first place, and some modded ships do a great job at balancing your intentional ship damage and shield usage (Almost all arkgenesis ships are essentially upscaled conquests, with huge damage output and great flux stats but puny shields. And i love them.). All the damage i deal in a battle is essentially nullified by my own hull damage, and long-range missile support ships progress much faster and have better stats than my flagship, since they never lower the shields.
There's nothing more rewarding than destroying a vessel twice of your size in a fair battle, while masterfully balancing flux and health stats, but mod severely punishes such behavior.